Demonstrators demand access for Kentuckians
“Even if it’s illegal, it’s still going to happen.” –Katie, Inez protestor
BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — A trio of abortion rights demonstrators gathered Tuesday in Inez to protest the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The protestors stood at the intersection of West Main Street and Holy Street with signs proclaiming “HER BODY HER CHOICE,” “LAWS OFF OUR BODIES,” and “ABORTIONS WILL STILL HAPPEN.” The latter sign included a drawing of a coat hanger.
Katie, Timmy and Jordan said their reason for being there was the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“There are going to be a lot of people that get hurt, and there are going to be a lot of people that die,” Katie said. “Even if abortion is illegal, it’s still going to happen. It’s just going to be unsafe. People are going to get hurt from it, and there’s no point in having that going on.”
In a controversial decision, the Court ruled Friday in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee any right to abortion, overturning the existing rulings for the landmark cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Once the Supreme Court issued its ruling, the ability to regulate abortion services fell to state governments.
Thirteen states, including Kentucky, already had trigger laws in place putting restrictions on abortion access or banning it altogether. Those restrictions went into effect immediately.
Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron confirmed June 24 that Kentucky’s trigger law bans abortion in all instances that do not threaten the mother’s life or vital organ function.
Cameron said the law “does not prohibit the proper use of contraceptives to prevent pregnancy or before a pregnancy can be determined through conventional medical testing” and “has no application when a pregnant mother suffers a miscarriage. Nor does it prohibit medical treatment to help a mother in this circumstance.”
Gov. Andy Beshear and other non-Republican politicians in the state have referred to the law as “extremist” as it does not include an exception for rape or incest.
Local government officials and candidates all over the state have spoken out against the law, and many have said they would not enforce the new law in cases of rape or incest if given a choice.
Only two clinics in Kentucky provided abortions before the June 24 decision. Both clinics, located in Louisville, have halted procedures.
Kentucky Health News reports, “Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer didn’t say whether he would enforce the trigger law, but Craig Greenberg, the Democratic mayoral nominee, said he wouldn’t. The Republican nominee, Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf, said he would leave the issue to state and federal officials.”
With no in-state clinics offering the procedure, women seeking an abortion will have to travel out of state to receive a safe procedure.
Ohio clinics are still able to give abortions, but only up to six weeks, which is earlier than many pregnancies are detected.
The law is unclear in West Virginia, but the only active clinic has closed until further notice in fear of legal retaliation.
A Tennessee trigger law banning abortion will go into effect 30 days after Roe v. Wade has been overturned, so abortion access will also halt there next month.
Pennsylvania and Virginia do not currently have laws in effect banning abortion, and clinics are presently operational in those two states.